Dual Lives, Dual Loves
by ImmortalDawn18
Summary: Envy and Ed know they shouldn't love them, but Roy Mustang and Nimue Succubus are too tempting to resist. When two masked figures, Phoenix and Black Cat, begin stalking the streets, lines are drawn, or are they? EnvyOC, EdRoy. AUish, Post-series. Later M.
1. Preface

Dawn: I know I should be working on other things, but eheheheh, I'm not going to. I really wanted to do more of a story like this, so...

Envy: Translation, she's been reading all the vampire stories you guys have to offer.

Roy: And she's planning an eventual lemon.

Ed: Oh joy.

Dawn: SHUT YOUR PIEHOLE, ED! *hits over head with frying pan*

Ed: *faints in Roy's arms*

Roy: *gets perverted look on face*

Envy: *facepalms* ImmortalDawn18 does not own FullMetal Alchemist.

Dawn: Thank you, Envy-hime.

Envy: *glares angrily* You're so lucky I'm not allowed to kill you right now...

* * *

Preface

"Black Cat, you wait up this instant!" Phoenix cried, grabbing her arm.

"Life doesn't wait for the restless," she chided, rolling her expressive silver-tinted eyes.

"Yes, but dawn's coming, Cat, and we don't need you to overextend yourself."

"Fine," she grouched. "Just don't be such an ass simply because you're merely reclaiming your mate while I still need to even locate mine..."

* * *

Nimue Succubus sighed as she signed the last piece of paperwork for her newest charge, the homunculus Envy. His last handler had been murdered violently by a rabid chimera, and some genius (cough, her superior, hack) had decided to recommend her. Sometimes Nimue was uncertain as to why she'd let herself join the Military, but then she'd meet her yellow eyes in the mirror. "'Night Roy!" she called, pulling on the jacket she'd put over the back of her chair.

Jean Havoc leaned over beside her, cigarette hanging out of his mouth comically. "C'mon Nimue, let's go out drinking tonight, celebrate your new job while you can."

She smiled sadly, staring out the window. "Sorry, Jean," she murmured, "but if I'm not careful, night... will fall..."

* * *

Edward growled, throwing off the arm that had made its way so casually around his waist. He hated this, hated what he was doing, hated his life, but it was all he could deal with. Nothing would ever be the same, not without there being a price. His alchemy had been restored to him, but with the cost that had come with it, he almost wished they hadn't made the choice for him. His arm was gone, his leg in pieces, but they were not the source of his injuries, that would have to be his humanity. He'd always believed the best in someone, but of course, when they had taken away that part of himself, he didn't know what to call himself other than inhuman...

* * *

Envy sighed boredly, tossing his hair back and forth between his hands. Ever since he'd been reborn as some weird freak of alchemy, they'd had to manage him, and quite frankly, he found the prospect of being babysat rather tedious. They were always so boring, that was why he hadn't really fought back when the chimera had snapped the last guy's neck, but this Nimue girl sounded even more so. Sighing, he pushed himself up off the bed. He might as well enjoy his last night of freedom while it lasted...

* * *

Dawn: Whew, nice teaser, right? Who's Black Cat? Who's Phoenix? And as for Nimue, well, let's just say everyone in here, with the exception of Havoc, plays some kind of part here...

Ed: Equivelent Exchange dictates that Dawn writes, you review. DO IT!

Roy: I wanna know what part I'm gonna play in this...

Envy: You and me both.

Nimue: Why am I sitting on your lap, Envy?

Dawn: Just go with it.

Ed: With every review you leave, I grow an inch taller, so REVIEW OR I'LL CUT YOUR HEAD OFF!

Roy: *nervous look on face* Come on, Fullmetal, let's get you home before you kill someone... *leads both of them off somewhere*

Envy: *picks up Nimue* Well, I have some raping to attend to before we start the next chapter, so... *walks off*

Dawn: I'll just hang here, actually. I'm really likely to make a real first chapter today anyway...


	2. Chapter I: First Night

Dawn: Told you I'd put another chapter up today!

Envy: *rolls eyes* Just get on with it!

Ed: ImmortalDawn18 does not own FullMetal Alchemist.

* * *

Chapter I: First Night

Black Cat was rather put out with her prey tonight. No fighting, no screaming, no nothing. She wrinkled her nose, choosing instead to leave the man as he lay in the alleyway. Perhaps she could find better, more invigorating prey than this one...

* * *

Envy sighed, lying back against the park bench lazily. There was nothing here to do, but there was nothing at his home either, and he was just simply too bored to go back to the little apartment he would be vacating tomorrow when all his things were packed. "Hey," a voice said, "I'm guessing you've had just as much luck entertaining yourself as I have tonight judging by the way you're sitting like you've got nothing here but nothing wherever you're going either."

He turned his head to see a feminine figure whose face was hidden with a dark hood full of more shadows than it should've been. The most important thing about her that he could see was a pair of silver-tinted eyes. "And you are?"

"My name is Black Cat, and who are you, felce?" she responded in a smooth voice.

"I'm Envy."

She laughed. "Well then, felce, want to have some fun?"

He frowned. "'Felce'?"

Her smile was darker, feral. "It's better you don't know, felce, now you coming or what? It's still a long way off from dawn."

He eyed her oddly, what did dawn have to do with anything, but nodded, taking her offered hand. "I think I'd like that."

Her silver orbs lit up. "Excellent! I have just the thing in mind..."

* * *

Edward eyed his next target, his automail fingers crushing the fragile picture in his hands before he smoothed it out once more. That was the man who he'd been tasked to kill. Slowly, the blond stepped from the shadows with an ease born of practice, and also with that same calmness, slit the man's throat with a pocketknife he'd been given especially for these times. He did not hang around to see if the man was dead or not, already knowing full well that he never missed, that he never had in the four years he'd been doing this macabre work. There was nothing left inside him anymore, nothing that felt sorry for the man or even told him what he did was wrong, and all he wanted to do was go home and nurse his wounds.

When the chimera's paw came in contact with his arm, thankfully the automail one, Edward reacted instantly. He whirled around, the knife's blade cuffing the creature across the face, causing it to howl in agony, but that was not what caused the beast to collapse. That would have to be the hand sticking out of its head sickeningly, the man who had done the deed pulling the appendage from the dead creature with a calmness even Edward himself would be hard-pressed to match and begin licking his arm clean. "Who are you?" the blond growled, wary.

The man looked up, and Ed couldn't describe him even if he tried, the shadows covering his face were too complete. All he could see was small shards of silvery flames in the man's eyes. "I am Phoenix, sin of this city. Who are you to set foot on my domain?"

"Edward Elric."

Phoenix, if that was even his real name, snorted. "I've heard of you. You're a pretty sinner like myself, but I have to assure you, I am in a whole different league than you." Edward stiffened, but Phoenix chuckled dryly. "Relax, I mean you no harm. Now if you will excuse me, I have other matters to attend to."

"Wait!" Ed cried, a hand extending in a silent plea.

Phoenix stopped for a moment, turning his head so that the blond could see part of his face. "Make it quick, dawn's fast approaching."

"Will I see you again?" he asked, holding back the other question he'd wanted to ask.

"Perhaps, if you strike my fancy some other night, farther from the dawn..."

* * *

Envy had never known hunting criminals could be so much fun, but then again, it was mainly fun because of the contest Black Cat had made it into. She was just so much excitement, beauty and grace somehow packed into that slender cat-like body as she taunted her prey. Even better, she made it interesting because she liked to play with her prey far longer than anyone else he had ever met. "I really enjoyed tonight, Black Cat," he murmured quietly. "Thanks for including me."

She shrugged. "It was a passing whim. Thanks are not in order for making my own night as well." She got up off the bench they sat on, brushing off her long black coat.

"Will we ever do this again?" Envy asked, curious.

Her eyes danced merrily, the silver gleaming quietly in the slowly lightening sky. "If you can ever find me before the dawn..."

* * *

Cat: Ooooh, I love this!

Phoe: I don't. I sound so aloof.

Envy: Oh calm down, you spazzes. The story isn't getting juicy for another chapter or two.

Ed: Every time you review, I grow taller, so review lots!

Dawn: Yeah. It's Equivalent Exchange- I write, you review. Until next time, vamps!


	3. Chapter II: Reassignment

Dawn: Well, that's depressing. Two months after I put this up, I get my first action. Sad, really. Is it really that bad?

Envy: Yes.

Nimue: *hits on shoulder* Stop it. Now someone do the disclaimer.

Ed: ImmortalDawn18 does not own FullMetal Alchemist.

Roy: Please read on. It'll make Dawn less depressed to write something more whimsical than usual and actually have it liked.

* * *

Chapter II: Reassignment

Nimue made a noise as she shifted through the paperwork absently, searching for the one thing she needed most. "Dammit, where'd that file go?" she hissed, barely catching the encoding of each sheet before she'd leaf on. "If I don't find that file for Roy, it'll be all so much harder to get Edward back!"

A manilla folder was waggled in front of her blue eyes, causing her to frown as she met the mischevious obsidian orbs of her superior officer. "Looking for this, Shadow?" he teased.

Her eyes narrowed. "Did you have to do my job for me? You almost gave me a heart attack! I thought the file was missing!"

"I didn't mean to scare you, Nimue. I just felt the urge to make sure everything was in order last night, so..."

"I understand. We both have a lot riding on today, and we can't afford even the slightest mistake."

"I'll be back soon."

"Whatever, Colonel." She looked down at her paperwork once more, looking through the reports of criminals. "Just make sure you get your work done on time. Hawkeye's gonna flip when she finds out you were here early and didn't do your work."

* * *

Envy sighed heavily as he went up in the elevator, already missing Black Cat. The Military was full of alchemists who glared at him no matter what he did, wary of the homunculus, when all he wanted was to find Miss Nimue, the Shadow Alchemist, and get out of here. Distracted by the memory of Black Cat, he didn't notice the black-haired man until he'd crashed into him, scattering papers all over the corridor. "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going!" he apologized, helping to gather up the papers.

"It's okay, Envy, so long as you know where you're supposed to be going."

Violet eyes widened in worry. "Mustang! Who the? What the? Why aren't you trying to kill me?"

"No point in killing you here. Far too much paperwork involved, and it all goes straight to my office."

"You're not-"

"No, but Shadow's under my authority."

"Oh. And where would she be?"

"Down the hallway on the left. She'll be at her desk."

"Thank you. I don't understand why the hell you're accepting me, but considering that I don't want to die, I'll take it." He pushed himself up from his crouch, sauntering away without a thought or care.

* * *

Roy looked after the homunculus for a long time, then shrugged, continuing off to Fuhrer Hakuro's office. He had the transfer forms firmly clutched in his grip, well aware that if he ever hoped to rescue Edward from whatever unit that had him, he'd need to pull out every favor he had. The blond alchemist had to be rescued, simply had to.

Firming his jaw in what he hoped was courage, he slammed open the door to the office and flung the forms in the man's face in true Elric style. "What the hell is the meaning of this, Mustang?" the man growled, glaring at the alchemist.

"I want Edward back. Nimue may be good, but Shadow's no match for FullMetal, not for missions. She and I are desk people, and I need an field alchemist."

"And why would Major Armstrong, for instance, not be enough field alchemist for you?"

If Roy had been playing chess, he would've smugly called checkmate right then. "Because no one else can quite bring FullMetal to heel like I can, and if not, I'm sure Nimue will lodge her own complaints."

The man paled. Nimue wasn't by any means entirely a "desk person" and certainly had more than enough umph to her alchemy to threaten the Fuhrer, and to make matters worse, she was almost as well-liked as Edward within the Military. How the hell the Hero of Ishval could manage to gain the expertise of both the People's Alchemist and the Vanguard's Alchemist, he couldn't guess, but they were the three most dangerous individuals in the entire organization. If Edward wasn't so busy being a disobeying mutt and Nimue so content with her position, the Hakuro would be in so much more trouble than he was with simply Roy Mustang aiming for his job. "Very well. You shall have him before the end of the week."

"Tomorrow. Whatever he's doing can be handled by Major Armstrong."

"Very well. He'll report to your office tomorrow, Colonel."

* * *

Nimue, Envy decided, was not all that bad-looking. Her pretty blue eyes were focused on her work, and she seemed determined to ignore the strands of black hair tickling her chin and arm as she worked. "I know you're back there, Jean," she said without looking up. "You might as well come out now.

"Actually," he murmured, venturing out and plopping himself on the desk in front of her, "the name's Envy."

Only the merest hint of surprise colored her gaze. "Envy," she repeated. "I assume the Colonel told you where to find me?"

"More or less," he admitted. "Where are we going?"

"_I_," she replied, stressing the word, "will stay here and get my work done. _You_, on the other hand, will go back to my apartment and amuse yourself there without breaking things until I return home at nightfall. I may or may not be remaining there long, as my work is best served in dimmer light, but I fully expect you to pay attention to my requests and rules when I am not around to enforce them as when I am. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"Yes," he muttered, already resigned to the prospect of having yet another alchemist like the one who had just died.

"Very well then. My key's above the eave and I'm fairly certain you know where I reside." She tapped her pen against a paper, carefully reading through the haphazard report. "You're welcome to leave anytime now."

"Of course," he murmured, making sure to subdue his glee until after he was outside. If Nimue was this loose about her assignments, then perhaps it was not such a bad thing he had gained her as a managing alchemist. There were so many loopholes to her requirements, the instructions almost seemed to be more made to be denied than followed. But then again, maybe she simply hadn't been put in charge of anyone quite so unpredictable before…

* * *

Roy: *grumble* I just love how you make me decide to take after Ed.

Ed: *in shock* I can't believe you actually did it.

Nimue: I can't believe I let Envy into my house under such loose rules.

Envy: Neither can I.

Dawn: *shrug* How else is he supposed to go see Black Cat?

Nimue: Equivelent exchange, please. Dawn writes, you review. It's only fair.

Roy: Please do it. For every review we get, I throw a report in someone's face.

Ed: *faints in shock*

Envy: *rubs head where there is a suspicious frying pan-shaped bump* I still can't believe someone's on Nimue's side even though no one really knows her yet.


	4. Chapter III: Second Night

Dawn: Welcome to another chapter of Dual Lives, Dual Loves!

Envy: *contentedly nomming on a lollipop*

Ed: Hey, where's Roy? And Nimue?

Phoe: Hell if I know.

Cat: Gluttony ate them.

Dawn: *terrified look on face*

Ed: Um, ImmortalDawn18 does not own FullMetal Alchemist...

* * *

Chapter III: Second Night

Phoenix looked out of the window inside of one of the Military's offices, rather impatient for when Black Cat would join him. They had something important to talk about, and he had to discuss this something now. "What was it that you wanted badly enough to pull me away from my hunt, Phoenix?" Black Cat was, as per usual, not amused by her companion's antics.

In answer, he threw a classified document from the desk at her face, the papers almost seeming to hit her before her hand showed up out of nowhere to deftly catch them. "What is the meaning of this, Black Cat?" he growled, the silver fires flaring in his eyes.

"I was merely doing my job, Phoenix," she murmured, straightening the confiscated police reports in her hand.

"By killing people?" he hissed, looking like he almost wanted to throttle her.

Silver eyes seemed barely concerned, though her body seemed almost as if it were shifting her into more of a defensive stance. "I made sure that all of my kills were only criminals, people society was better off without. I do not want to hurt people, Phoenix, no more than you do." She smiled grimly, recollecting vital point. "Besides, weren't you rather graphically killing a chimera last night. Those things are people too, Phoenix, don't you recall?"

"I remember, Cat. The question is, do you?"

* * *

Edward walked forlornly through the park, the memories of earlier that day whirling through his head. Roy Mustang had come back to the Military and personally requested him, even bothering enough to pull his experience and that of his newest subordinate, a girl named Nimue Succubus, the Shadow Alchemist. The only thing was, the blond was still under a suffocatingly tight leash, only this time with the addition of one Colonel Bastard. Golden eyes were sad, dripping warmth from them as he walked, his gaze firmly fixed on the ground.

"Rough day, huh Edward?" He jumped, his startled eyes finding Phoenix lazing across a park bench. As the young alchemist watched, the silver fires in those eyes turned almost mischievious as he prepared to speak once more. "Yeah, it's been rather trying for me as well. My friend is rather unpredictable, and cleaning up after her messes is rather difficult, to say the least. She doesn't seem to want anyone to look at her true nature, me included." He shifted, deciding that he didn't want to be bothered by the troublesome matter any longer. "But enough about me, what's up with you?"

Ed swallowed hard, something about him somehow not protesting against revealing a little bit of his troubles to the stranger who had saved his life. Still, everyone's life was at risk for if he told, so he had to keep mum to save his friends. "I'd rather not talk about it."

Phoenix nodded as if he expected that. "I understand. There are many things I would not want to talk about myself." He sighed. "Secrets are not secret unless they are known only by one, but they are hard to bear alone. That's what my friend always says, but I've never took her seriously until now. I guess she's more perceptive than I thought."

Edward knew that so long as he remained close to Phoenix, time would refuse to move forward. "Can," he asked, fidgeting, "can I stay here for a while?"

Phoenix shrugged, scooting over. "I don't see why not. I will not stay for too long, but you are welcome to remain here until then." Satified with that answer, the blond shyly leaned against the man alongside him, his eyes feeling heavy until they finally slid shut. Phoenix chuckled at how quickly the boy had fallen asleep, picking him up and disappearing into the shadows. It would not do for the alchemist to awaken in one of his normal haunts.

* * *

Envy was wandering about, waiting for Nimue to reappear in her apartment had quickly grown boring and he was now, dare he admit it, looking for Black Cat, wanting another taste of what he had shared with her last night. He hadn't been that close to anyone in, well, ever. Giving up with a sigh, after all the point of staying with Nimue and her loose rules was not to get in trouble, he turned around to walk back to her apartment.

It was on the bridge that he found her. Black Cat sat on the paraphet, one leg dangling over the edge, and she had a rather thoughtful look on her face. Even though he knew perfectly well that she would not fall unless she wanted to do so, he couldn't help pulling her away from the edge and towards his body, which he planted firmly on the edge closer to the street. "Found you," he declared triumphantly.

"Very good, felce," she applauded, her mouth twitching up in a smile. "But don't you have somewhere to be?"

He shifted. "Yeah. Nimue should be looking for me right about now, but I don't really care about that."

"What if I take you back to her place and stay there 'til you go to sleep?" she asked, a mischievious tone in her voice.

"I think I could be persuaded to be a good boy," he purred, and she smirked, silver eyes dancing in amusement.

"Let's do that, then. My friend's pissed at me for going on a rampage last night with you anyway." She followed him back, showing only a pair of pursed lips when the apartment proved empty still. "I thought you said you had a roommate?"

"I do. I don't know where the hell she is though."

She leaned against a windowframe, perching on it like she had been at the bridge. "Who knows, who cares? Less trouble for me to deal with." Feeling rather cat-like, he curled up on a couch, his lavender eyes watching her for a moment. "Sleep, felce. There's nothing worth staying awake for."

"There's you," he protested, the words falling from his lips before he realized they had formed.

She looked startled, then smiled. "I'm not going to stay for long. I have my own roommate to deal with." She pet his hair back, the rhymic motions unwillingly sending him into the land of Morpheus. Smiling faintly, she slipped out the window, wanting to explore the city one more time before she packed it in as well. She did not want him to notice that she was walking about the place as if she knew it intimately, a thing that would be otherwise impossible unless she had been here before...

* * *

Cat: Way to make me a stalker.

Dawn: The average period of stalking is 1.8 years!

Phoe: Fasinating.

Ed: *sound asleep*

Envy: *still distracted with lollipop*

Dawn: Equivelent Exchange dictates that I write and you review!

Phoe: Every review you leave gives Envy a lollipop, so make sure to review a lot! I'd rather not have to deal with him trying to rape Black Cat too...

Cat: HEY! I DON'T NEED PROTECTING (from Envy)! *tackles Phoenix*

*dustcloud covers Phoenix and Black Cat as they begin fighting*

Dawn: Oh I give up. *walks away, carrying the sleeping Ed and dragging the still-distracted Envy*


	5. Chapter IV: Playing Games

Dawn: Yet another chapter? What's wrong with me?

Roy: You mean besides everything that's usually wrong with you?

Dawn: Yes.

Ed: Hell if I know!

Envy: *enjoying licking random popsickles*

Nimue: ImmortalDawn18 does not own FullMetal Alchemist.

Envy: *shyly offers Nimue a popsickle*

Nimue: *takes popsickle and sits in Envy's lap*

Roy and Ed: *wide-eyed look*

Dawn: Aw! Envy's learned to share! And sharing is caring, kids, especially when it's with Greed (this message is fully endorsed by Greed)!

* * *

Chapter IV: Playing Games

Envy woke up alone on the couch, feeling a little cold without someone, like Black Cat, nearby to pet his hair. Sitting up, he noticed that Nimue must've returned during the night for she was lying against the kitchen table surrounded by various files, her head pillowed by her arms as she had obviously fallen asleep last night dealing with them. Smiling softly, for she looked rather adorable like that, he uncharacteristically picked her up and carried her to her bed, settling her down amid the soft sheets. She made a soft noise when he tried to extract himself, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist, a slightly frightened look on her face. Sighing, he permitted her to pull him down to the bed, fully intending to blame Black Cat's actions last night to his rather caring actions now.

She whimpered in her sleep, squirming. "No," she breathed quietly, "I don't want to. A phoenix may rise from his ashes, but a cat won't always land on her feet unhurt. Please, not the darkness, please."

"Hush, it's okay, you're safe now," he muttered absently, his body automatically acting as if this was Black Cat instead of Nimue while his mind was puzzling over her words, wondering what she could have possibly meant. "I won't let anything happen to you."

* * *

Roy frowned, noticing that neither of his alchemists had reported in yet today. For Edward, this was not unexpected, but considering that Nimue was residing in the same small apartment as a homicidal homunculus, tamed or not, the fact that the usually dependable girl had not even called to let him know she was alive was rather worrying. Almost as if on cue, the phone rang, which he hastily snatched from its cradle.

"This is Roy Mustang, I presume?"

"Envy," the man said, perplexed as to what the sin could want, "what are you doing calling my line from Shadow's phone?"

"Did you know she fell asleep while doing some of _your_ paperwork last night? It's only for her benefit that I decided to call in her morning sick."

He resisted the urge to breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I've been telling her she's been overworking herself, but she doesn't listen to me. Make sure she stays in bed and rests until after lunch, okay?" He didn't get an answer, just the sound of the dial tone. Muttering something about damn homunculi being rude enough to not bother with a proper goodbye and another something about damn subordinates not showing up for work, he hung up his own phone only to meet the quiet golden eyes of Edward Elric.

"I'm here, bastard," the blond stated plainly, something dark in his eyes.

Roy nodded, restraining himself from a sarcastic comment. "I asked Shadow to go through your files since I've, since _we've_, been gone, and it's not all that pretty."

Ed raised one eyebrow. "And?"

"She found nothing, Fullmetal. _Nothing_."

"Your point being?"

He shifted. "I know for a fact that when someone's doing something rather unethical, there isn't any report filed, or if it is filed, that report goes missing. Most of my reports from Ishval endured similar treatment." Seeing that the blond was beginning to shut down on him, the Colonel got up, venturing around the desk to stand before the younger boy. "Please, Fullmetal, at least give me an idea of what you were doing. I only want to protect you. _Please_."

In response, Edward reached into his pocket, flashing the dark-haired man a glimpse of his pocketknife, glittering subtly with its greed to taste lifeblood running along its length once more. Something inside Roy wanted to take the knife away from the boy, while another part wanted to demand he explain himself, but naturally, he did no such thing. Instead he shook his head, relieved that the blond had placed at least this little measure of trust in him. "I hope you know what you're doing, Edward."

The younger blinked in surprise. "You just called me by my real name."

"Did I, Fullmetal?" Midnight eyes gleamed in amusement as a gentle smile instead of the usual smirk appeared on his face. The object of this game was to reassure Edward, not torment and tease him, so the bickering would be placed aside and instead a more sympathetic demeanor adopted. "Would you mind helping me with all these papers? Shadow's called the morning in sick, and without her assistance, I fear I will not finish in time to get home for a good night's sleep."

The option was offered, not ordered, and that was intentional. Edward must always have the choice to refuse if he wanted to. "Sure, Colonel Bastard. What'm I supposed to be looking for?"

* * *

Nimue yawned, snuggling her face into the warmth alongside her before she sat up, suddenly realizing what she was doing and who she was doing it to. "Envy!" she yelped, a light blush coloring her features and a frightened look entering her blue eyes as she worried about his reaction.

"You're not expected in 'til after lunch," he replied boredly, extracting himself from her bed and stretching his back by arching it with his hands only accenting that curve, "though something tells me no one would mind if you took it easy today so long as you had something to turn in tomorrow."

She smiled hesitantly, unsure about what reception she would receive. "Thanks for calling in to Roy for me. He'd probably be freaking out if you hadn't, though I don't know how the pompous asshole actually displays worry. It'd probably seem more like an afterthought to him." Her eyes widened then, realizing she hadn't explained the particulars of everything. "Um, you're welcome to help yourself to anything in here, the money's in the cookie jar for if you want to run to the store, and your room is across the hall from mine." She colored slightly. "Sorry about forgetting to tell you earlier."

A slender hair ruffled her hair affectionately, but by the time her eyes whipped up to look at the homunculus in startled disbelief, he was already gone. For some reason, even though she knew she was housing a creature who would have no qualms about murdering her in her sleep, she somehow felt safer with him here. She knew she should feel safer somewhere else, like the office where Roy Mustang would pull strings to keep her here in Central handling the relatively casualty-free job of paperwork, but for some reason, she didn't. The office would be Edward's safe place, she had decided, but hers would always be this little apartment, the one she shared with a blood-covered monster.

* * *

Dawn: Horrible plot twist! Aren't I evil?

Nimue: No. Evil is refusing to solve it until chapter 7.

Roy: Um, that's exactly what she plans on.

Envy: *still enjoying his popsickles*

Ed: THIS GIRL IS PURE EVIL!

Nimue: *sigh* Equivelent Exchange dictates that Dawn writes and you review.

Roy: Please? The more you review, the more paperwork I can get done so that we can all get on with our lives.

Ed: *glaring at stapler that he was smashing against a filing cabinet* SERIOUSLY, HOW DO YOU PUT UP WITH THIS SHIT?

Dawn: I'm bored. *begins epic battle of office supplies with everyone except Roy, who is being forced to do paperwork by Hawkeye*


End file.
